Gun dealers and licensed firearm holders in Belize have come together to form the Belize Firearms Association, and they’re already taking action. In a letter dated June third, the group called out the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board for poor communication and long delays in processing license applications and renewals. According to the association, many applicants are left in the dark for weeks, even months, with no updates or feedback. That’s left people unsure whether their applications are being processed, need more documents, or have been approved or denied. To fix the problem, the association is recommending several changes: automatic acknowledgment receipts, a status check portal, a clear processing timeline, and regular public updates. Despite the criticism, the group says it’s committed to working with the board to improve the system for everyone.
Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa is standing by the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board, even as gun dealers raise serious concerns about the licensing process. Gun dealer Abner Murillo, owner of Lock N’ Loaded, has publicly criticized the system, saying it’s making it harder for law-abiding citizens to get the licenses they need for personal protection. He claims the process is slow, unclear, and unfair. Minister Musa responded by saying Murillo has every right to speak out, but he also questioned the dealer’s motives. Musa defended the board, calling it a step toward greater transparency and accountability in how firearm licenses are issued.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“He obviously has a right to protest regulations. Obviously a lot of gun dealers thrived when we had zero regulations with the issuing of gun licenses. WE heard many horror stories, instances of corruption, instances of paying off to get a gun license. A lot of unsavory individuals getting gun license and we have pivoted away from that. I know that is going to harm the business of gun dealers and this guy is a gun dealer right, so it going to harm his business naturally. But, he has to understand, we are operating under new circumstances, under regulations and I think the board has been doing an exceptionally good job in terms of the issuance, the vetting for gun licensing, the imposing of the requirement that you have to get a certificate that you know how to use a firearm. These are positive things, so instead of applauding these things, he is out there complaining because he is not making the kind of money he use to. I have to respect that, but at the end of the day my duty is to the Belizean people to make sure we have proper regulations in place.”
As the debate continues, applicants and gun owners say they just want a system that works, one that’s fair, efficient, and keeps everyone safe.
Things got heated at the Independence Police Station this morning when a high-tension wire made contact with several motorcycles parked behind the building. The bikes quickly went up in flames. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and the police station itself wasn’t damaged. Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith shared more details about the incident.
Stacy Smith
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
“At approximately ten-thirty a.m. today June tenth, police officers in the Southern Regional Formation, particularly at the ICF, which is located in Independence, were alerted to a fire that was ongoing on the eastern side of that compound. The officers observed that there was a high tension wire that became undone and would have affected eight motorcycles that would have been parked on the compound and this resulted in the fire being caused. The fire service personnel were summoned and they responded, however because of the high tension wire they had to wait for BEL personnel. They arrived and the fire was contained and the extent of the damages are limited to the said eight motorcycles. The building was not affected by the fire. The motorcycles were not the motorcycles being used by the police officers. They were properties in possession of the police as abandoned property or properties whose owners cannot be identified, suspected to have been stolen.”
The value of the damages is yet to be ascertained.
A forty-seven-year-old Belize City woman, Shirley Adette Arnold, is facing a fine after pleading guilty to driving an unlicensed vehicle, but her reason for doing so has drawn sympathy from the court. Arnold, who suffers from serious health issues, including kidney failure and diabetes, appeared before Magistrate Ludlow Black earlier today. She admitted to using her silver Mazda Tribute on June fifth without a valid license, explaining that she was on her way to the hospital for dialysis treatment and had no one to help her. Despite having a prior conviction for the same offense, the court showed compassion. Magistrate Black fined her a hundred and five dollars, taking into account her medical condition and financial hardship. Arnold was also found to owe the court over one thousand, one hundred dollars in previous fines, but the magistrate waived that amount after she promised to make a two hundred dollar payment by Friday. Normally, those with such debts risk being remanded to prison, but in this case, the court opted for leniency.
A Belize City man is out on bail tonight after being charged with robbery in connection to a frightening incident involving a female minor. Twenty-six-year-old Ryan Harold Herbert appeared before Magistrate Ludlow Black, where he was formally arraigned for allegedly using force to steal a red iPhone XR, a Coach purse, jewelry, and personal documents from the young victim. The incident reportedly took place last Friday night on Simon Lamb Street. According to police, the victim was walking with her mother when a man matching Herbert’s description approached from behind and snatched her belongings. Herbert was later detained and charged with robbery. He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of one thousand, five hundred dollars with strict conditions, including a curfew and a no-contact order with the victim or her family. His next court appearance is scheduled for July thirtieth.
The Placencia Village Council is making an urgent plea to Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde to help reclaim a key piece of land known as Placencia Point. Village Chairman Warren Garbutt says the council has spent the last ten years trying to acquire the land from the government, hoping to use it for major cultural events like Lobsterfest. But despite their efforts, the land was recently sold to a private company. Garbutt told us that the Ministry of Natural Resources has since entered talks with the new landowner to try and recover the property, but so far, those negotiations haven’t moved forward.
Warren Garbutt
Warren Garbutt, Chairman, Placencia Village
“In 2022, if I’m not mistaken that we received a cease and desist letter from the new owners of the property. They had bought the property from a local resident and like I said, the transaction at Lands included a portion of the boardwalk that we were using. It’s not the entire property but a portion of what the council was using was included in that owner’s property. And since then we have been meeting with Lands, sending letters and even before. requesting the proper documentation title for this property for the village. But we weren’t granted it. We knew it was public property, it was the government’s property. So we applied, however, we weren’t granted it, we were granted just a license to utilize it. And it wasn’t until about 2022 when we found out that the land was actually entitled to the new owners. The area we’re talking about is what most of the leaves and the village know, or as the point. It’s the area we’ve been using for Lobster Fest since I think about 2017. And besides Lobster Fest for decades this property has been used for recreational use by local residents enjoying the beach for fishing, for swimming, just playing volleyball beach football events. And more recently like I said, starting around 2017, the council has been using it for our biggest fundraiser, the Lobster Fest which is held at the start of the lobster season every year. The villages in Belize has a very limited revenue source. We get our revenue from liquor licenses, and that’s basically it. That’s the only money that is guaranteed to villages countrywide, except for Caye Caulker. So Placencia, because of the nature of the village the cost for maintaining and keeping up with maintenance of the village, it is mandatory that we try to find ways in which we can raise funds.”
According to the Placencia Village Council, the point serves as an ideal location for activities as it is the only location not impacted by sargassum each year.
There’s a new team steering the ship at the Port of Belize. The company has just named its Board of Directors, kicking off what they’re calling a fresh chapter in leadership and direction. Ambassador Lynn Young takes the helm as Chairman, leading a diverse team tasked with steering the port’s strategic and operational goals. His team includes attorney Priscilla Banner, former union leader Elena Smith, businessman Dinesh Bhojwani, Kevin Castillo, Rey Guerrero, and C.E.O. Arturo ‘Tux’ Vasquez. This transition follows the conclusion of the previous board’s term, led by Doctor Gilbert Canton. The company expressed gratitude to the outgoing members and says it’s now focused on strengthening services and supporting Belize’s economic growth under the new leadership
Calling all filmmakers, students, and creatives! The Belize Film Commission is launching an exciting new opportunity, the Belize Film Xchange Workshop Series, happening June twenty-third to twenty-seventh at the ITVET Campus in Belize City. This five-day, hands-on workshop is packed with expert-led sessions covering everything from screenwriting and directing to cinematography, sound, editing, and music. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your skills, this is your chance to learn from the best. And speaking of the best, the lineup includes both local and international.
Carlo Habet
Carlo Habet, Film Commissioner
“So the five-day film workshop series that we’re putting on, entitled the Belize Film Exchange, is something that has been a brainchild, in development for like a year now and it’s a component that we think is really important because we notice that processing permits and these kinds of things, we have a lot of films coming in and more films coming in, bigger films coming in. But what do they need? They need people who they can hire and this is something that we want to provide, it’s that skilled labor so that we can have our Belizeans, you know, they can actually do these things themselves. But it’s like a chicken and egg situation, so we didn’t have enough people. Now, we want to make sure that there are people out there that are of a specific type of standard and actually have something to show for it. So what’s actually interesting is that ITVET is actually certifying this course, so when people are done with this, they could say, “Hey, we have a certificate in directing or screenwriting, or production, grip and electrical.” So I think that’s kind of the value we’re trying to bring to people and I really must tip my hat to NICH and the Ministry of Education for providing this and really subsidizing it because it’s a big program and the price that it’s out there for is actually super reasonable. I hope that it’s something that people will take advantage of, one. And two, that it’s a start of something that we want to do quarterly, going forward.”
Isani Cayetano
“Who all are you looking to see enroll in this particular seminar?”
Carlo Habet
“So, for the exchange, we thought, the industry is still very young and we want to actually target two different groups. One is actually working professionals who already are in the industry, but also students who are already taking some kind of art program and they kind of want to do something film-related and this might be the next step for them that they can take to say well maybe now this is how I can get into working professionally in the film industry, audiovisual industry.”
Sessions run daily from 8 AM to 5 PM, so get ready to dive deep into the world of filmmaking. The workshop is ITVET-certified and backed by the National Institute of Culture and History, the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology, and the Belize Film Commission.
Greater Belize Media is making waves this year, leading the pack in nominations for the 2025 Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards. With a remarkable one hundred and three entries, GBM has, for the first time, surpassed Jamaica’s powerhouse, the RGR Gleaner Communication Group. The Thirty-sixth annual CBU Media Awards will take place on August twentieth in Barbados. The big news was revealed this morning by CBU Secretary General Sonia Gill during an official ceremony.
Sonia Gill
Sonia Gill, Secretary General, Caribbean Broadcasting Union
“I am pleased to announce the nominees for the thirty-six CBU awards. 2025 has once again been a record-breaking year, with the CBU Secretariat receiving five hundred and sixty-one submissions for sixty-one categories from thirty-one organizations representing eleven countries and territories in the Dutch, English and Spanish Caribbean as well as pan regional countries. That is an increase of thirteen percent compared to last year, which was also a record-breaking year. For 2025, a new leader in the number of nominations is being crowned. The organization that led the pack with one hundred and three nominated entries is Greater Belize Media. For the first time it edged out the RGR Gleaner Communications Group from Jamaica which still recorded a healthy total of ninety-five nominations for its TV, Radio, Digital and Print services.”
Belize said goodbye today to one of its most divisive political figures. Former PUP Minister Ralph Fonseca passed away last Friday at the age of seventy-five, after battling illness for some time. This afternoon, Fonseca was honored with an official funeral and a Mass of Thanksgiving at Divine Mercy Church in Belize City. The service brought together family, friends, and political figures from both sides of the aisle. Minister of State Christopher Coye delivered the eulogy, offering heartfelt reflections on Fonseca’s life and legacy. Here’s a brief excerpt from his homage.
Christopher Coye
Christopher Coye, Minister of State
“In politics they say perception is reality. In life and in truth, perception is not reality. Perception is perception and life is reality. On August ninth, 1949, Ralph Fonseca entered this world with a bang at the Belize City Hospital as thunder roared outside, weighing a hefty ten pound we were the eldest son of Ralph Aloysius Fonseca and Gertude. HE would become a guiding light to his siblings, David, Lillian, Andrea and Mark. He attended Holy Redeemer School then Saint John’s College. At a very early age, Ralph displayed a strong work ethic, selling tickets at the palace theater until he was sixteen. Ralph was passionate about the sea, snorkeling, fishing, diving, learning as much as he could from his cousin louis Locke. He even built his first fishing sailing boat at the age of fourteen. His first professional position was at Texaco in 1968 and by the age of eighteen he had already become the manager.”
